The Word

1 Corinthians 16:14

Do everything in love.

Philippians 4:6, 7

Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

July 28, 2010

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you may have noticed that I don't knit many socks. And when I do knit socks, I let the project drag on and on and on. Recently I was invited to knit socks with Mary and her friends. (Okay, I actually might have invited myself.) It was decided that we'd knit Carole's Picot Edge Socks in July. I wasn't sure if I'd get them finished by the end of the month. But guess what - they are done and I finished them in less than a month! I love the picot edge on these socks! Thanks for sharing this pattern, Carole!

This time things started to make more sense to me. Turning the heel wasn't nearly as confusing as it had been in the past. I guess I was feeling a little smug and I stopped counting the gusset decreases on the first sock. I sped right past the place I was supposed to stop. I had to rip out about 10 rows, pick up the stitches then get back on track. Along with other self-imposed problems like having to figure out how to match up the length of the second sock, I think I knit 2.5 socks! :)

The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Black Purl. I like the striped sock better than the funky spiraling swirl sock, but I'm happy with the whole pair.

Now I've decided to knit two socks at once. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm really excited about this! I love learning new things and it will be great to have two socks done at once. My LYS has a KAL each month and this month we'll be knitting socks. The voting is still open so we don't know which pattern we'll use but we do know they'll be toe-up. I guess it's cheating to have started the toes already but I couldn't wait to swatch and cast on. Guess I should wait on these...

Here is the latest Springtime Bandit. This one is in black and is being knit from Berroco Touche for Emma to match a new dress. Gee, it looks like a manta ray!

July 26, 2010

Hi everyone! Last week we went to Ohio to visit our families and we had a wonderful time. Some highlights...

* The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - This was a fun day and the Bruce Springsteen exhibit was great (among other things). There were guitars, outfits and paraphernalia from lots of recording artists.

* Family - It was terrific to see our families. I also was able to visit with an aunt and uncle and one of my brothers whom I hadn't seen in a long time. My aunt and uncle shared photos of my grandma, me as a toddler, etc. They gave me a photo of both of my grandmas together that I love, love, love. Visiting with my family and looking through the photos were my favorite things of the trip.

* Book club - I went to my mom's book club gathering with her. This month they each discussed books they had been reading and I now have an even longer list of things to read. It was lovely to visit with these wonderful ladies I've known for so long.

* Funny things - My nieces and nephews were always making me laugh. One of the funniest things was something my niece said when ordering lunch one day: "I'll have the cheeseburger, but can you hold the Angus?" I guess she thought Angus was a condiment. :) It was also kind of funny when Steve tried to do a wheelie on the yard tractor, lost control, and drove it up on the grape arbor.

* Food - I gained 2-3 pounds while I was gone. :( But the food was great! My mom made meatballs and sauce and it was so yummy. Here's a photo of two huge pizzas we ate. Well, we tried to eat them...they were just too big.

* Knitting - I got a TON of knitting done! I knit four dishcloths, four scrubbies, nearly completed a pair of socks, and got at least half of a Springtime Bandit shawl done. I'll share more pictures later in the week.

* Yarn - I visited a yarn store called Yarnia. While there, I bought some souvenir yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Fingering in the Eat Your Veggies colorway. I'm looking forward to knitting with this yarn.

* Stitch guide - We stopped in at a used book store and I bought 250 Creative Knitting Stitches. It's a good book and I'm going to keep my eyes open for the other volumes.

But now it's time to get back to our routine. I feel like it's going to be hard to get into the swing of things. Summer is kind of over around here - some school districts start back next week. I want to get organized tomorrow and to start catching up on my blog reading, too. I hope you are all well and that you've had some time off this summer, too.

July 13, 2010

What a great topic! Where I live is not where I was born. Raised in Ohio, my husband and I moved South a few months after college graduation. And we've never left. I've lived in the South longer than I lived in the Midwest! We now live in the northern suburbs of Atlanta and here, not in any particular order, are some things I like about where I live...

1. The people - People here are really friendly and considerate.

2. The landscape - It's beautiful here! We are right on the edge of the North Georgia Mountains.

4. Our friends - Like any place we've lived, we've made some really good friends here.

5. Our church - Our friends at church have become our family. We have friends there of all ages so it's like we have grandparents, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, etc. all in one place.

6. The food - Since we live in such a metropolitan area I don't get much southern food here. But there are some great restaurants with food I probably wouldn't have had the chance to try at other places.

7. The weather (?) - I have a love/hate relationship with the weather. In the summer it usually feels way too hot and humid. But the winters can be really nice (although this winter is snowed four times!).

8. Cultural opportunities - From art museums to concerts to historical landmarks, there are so many things to do here! I used to feel bad that our daughter hasn't grown up out in the country like my husband and I both did, but then I remind myself about all the things she's been able to see and do.

9. The library system - I don't know how they compare to others, but I really like the libraries here. Just last night I was able to download three audiobooks and transfer them to my iPod. The library even has a state park pass that you can check out for the weekend. How cool is that?

10. Yarn stores! - There are a bazillion yarn stores around here. Okay, not really that many but seriously I could get to three or four yarn stores just by traveling 20 minutes. My favorite is just up the street from me.

I know there are many more things I like about living here. But there are also other places I'd like to live or at least visit for a while. Our country is wonderfully diverse and we are blessed to live here!